Dropping the Ball

I participated in some exercises today whose goals were to concentrate on communication, and since these were more like games or competition it was much more fun than training through tradition role play. For one set of exercises one big circle was made from the group of about 35 people. We raised one hand and a tennis ball was tossed around the circle with the simple instructions - "pay attention to who throws you the ball and to whom you give the ball." We lowered our hands once we caught the ball to help the group know who was still available. There was some confusion as the ball made its irregular path amid the circle because there were others with as much hand-eye coordination as I have, or don’t have. When the last person received the ball we were asked to repeat the pattern that had just been created. We got about ¾ of the way through and we hit a stalemate. Someone couldn’t remember to whom they had thrown the ball and no one else seemed to know to whom the ball had been thrown, not even the receiver. So with this valuable lesson learned – “pay attention” we tried again. We repeated the process of tossing the ball around the circle except this time at the end we were asked to reverse the pattern. This should not be a problem because we had just been reminded of the same instructions, to pay attention to how we got the ball and how we gave the ball away, and with the recent sting of failure fresh on our conscience it should have been a breeze. This time we only made it ¼ of the way and couldn’t go any further. There were too many people in the circle to try and remember the entire path and the confusion with balls that were not caught cleanly were repeated contributing factors in our dismal display of following rules. I was confident of my own part, but I didn’t have a clue about the responses of anyone else; I was concentrating so hard on my own connections and wary of the occasional wild throws as the ball made its way around the circle that I didn’t even pay attention to what happened to the ball after it left the hands of my receiver.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Thank you for your patience! We are a people with short memories and with awkward attempts at following your rules. Like the people of Israel given repeated reminders and guidance, we continue to fall into lapses of disruptive activities. We fail to further your work and your rules. Let us be mindful of your guidance, confident in our abilities, and attentive to our brothers and sisters. Your Word is meant to be shared and if we stop short when we think our duty is complete, we miss the bigger opportunity to follow your workings and the trail of your creation in the lives of those around us. Your Word has been passed along to us through family, friends, teachers, pastors and strangers on the street. We in turn need to pass the message of your love to the next person, paying attention to its secure delivery and to be prepared for the possibility of returning reconciliations of your grace. The circle of your love is forever. Amen.